DIRECTOR'S STATEMENT                                                 
I know Supermama can fly…do you?
I have never been one for hero stories, so it is strange that with my first film I would choose this as my central theme. I think that often what we create is as perplexing to us as the world itself. The question that then arises is why I chose a hero story to begin with? I believe that the answer firstly lies in the circumstances I find myself in, living in South Africa in an often dangerous but inspiring place. Secondly, living in a world where so much brutality, corruption and disregard for human life is perpetuated. I do not know if I am a socially conscious filmmaker and somehow would like to avoid that connotation. I do know however, that Supermama at its core deals with social and humanitarian values.   
So in this perplexity, I still look for why I created this story. Another answer lies in my belief that humans can change their circumstance: in reality we can become whatever we want to be. I am concerned with change and growth and I suppose this concern informs me as a person.   
The journey began over a year and half ago. I was travelling with my dad in Cape Town and we happened to stop at an art gallery. There I saw a sculpture of a large black women, dressed in a superhero costume, it made me smile. (I owe a debt of gratitude to the sculptor) That year I wanted to shoot a short film, actually I had wanted to do so for a long time and it was like a fire under my bum, the urgency to create! About six months after I had seen the sculpture, I thought of it again and sat down to write a short script. Within a matter of days I had written the story. I also new then that Supermama would not be a one off film but a series of short films that dealt with issues like crime, corruption and abuse of power facing society. The decision to do a series of short films was also based on my belief that films should try and be economically viable. Doing a series of films could provide an opportunity for future financial sustainability and development of Supermama.
My primary concern with the story was not to make these serious themes didactic, but to layer them with humour. Even though the film deals with social issues, it is still charming and slanted towards comedy and entertainment. One of the biggest advantages is that it has a wide audience and many people whether 6 or 60, black or white, male or female can relate to it (this was proved when I showed the promo to a number of different people). The other crucial element was to keep the story charming and naïve. I must emphasize that this decision was made for creative reasons: to advance the tenderness and feel good nature of the film. This naivety was also hugely important in telling the visual narrative.   
The story is simply: Mama is a trader who works in Johannesburg. On one to many occasions she is robbed by the tsotsis. However, in her possession is a Superhero comic, which inspires her to do something about the crime around her. She buys material and for three nights and days she sews herself a Superhero costume. On the third day she reveals herself as Supermama and goes out to catch the tsotsis. However unlike Superhero, Supermama has no magical powers but what she does have is self-belief - a belief that she can change the world around her and in so doing change herself. In the classical hero mould, she becomes the protector of the weak, the guardian of the vulnerable and a fighter for a better world. The humour comes through the situations she finds herself in, her close and loving relationship with her husband and the comic elements of her opponents. Supermama is also a large woman in body and in spirit and she uses this to her advantage along with her only weapon, her leopard print handbag.
After I had written the script, I had to find Supermama. I did some castings and then Mavis walked in with a mixture of shyness and courage. I asked her to do a few Supermama moves and say a few lines and what she did captured my attention. However, as fate would have it, she was not my first choice. My first choice had been an older and wiser woman in appearance. However, she fell through and Mavis came on board. To this day I am happy that fate played its cards that way. We have stuck by each other and I have grown along with her. Mavis has innate charm and this is expressed in the film.
After this I gathered a whole lot of filmmakers together and we shot the first episode or pilot. I then took the pilot to Helen Kuun of Ster Kinekor who immediately came on board. I also knew that I wanted to try and compensate the filmmakers who had helped me with the pilot for their hard work and so I began the process all over again of shooting the film for cinema release (we needed to shoot on either HD or film for cinema release). Even though some of the cast and crew changed for the film version, my commitment to see the current group of filmmakers benefit from the project has been of utmost importance. So if this first episode is successful, they will all be part of the next series of episodes.
I was lucky right from the start, to find a creative and co-producing partner in Damon Berry, who understood the concept and was on the same page. We sat down for many hours going over the script (and budget) - we had to change certain elements that were not in the pilot and come up with a resolution. The other battle was to try and find sponsorship or investment. TriSound Vision came on board to try and find investment and they approached many corporate sponsors but with no results. At times Damon and I fell into doubt because we knew how much the film would cost and still by the time of production had no money. With faith we forged ahead and shot the film on a minimal budget and with the help of companies like Puma Video, Panasonic, Media Film Services, Video Lab, Film Lab and Screen Africa. It is with great appreciation that I acknowledge the passion and dedication of people in this industry. All the crew came on board on deferred payment and the cast was paid a minimal amount for their time. It is a common cliché but still holds true: this is a collaborative art and without all the various elements and commitment of people, a film would not be possible. I also would like to thank the Gauteng Film Commission (GFC) for funding the post-production of the film. There was a stage when I sat at the Video Lab and I wondered how I was going to pay - (a very tricky situation!) In the end the film was completed due to the support of the GFC.       
The film will be released in August 2007 prior to a selection of feature films. I would like to thank Ster Kinekor for their unflinching support to develop the local film industry. I also have great empathy for artists because it often takes a tremendous amount of faith and perseverance to see their passion come to light. I believe that art is fundamental to society and the striving of the human spirit.
   
DIRECTOR'S TREATMENT                                               
As a first-time director the most important thing for me was to focus on the story and allow the actors to be free in their response to their characters. Even though I knew that I wanted Supermama to be bold and at the same time humble, I wanted actress Mavis Magayeyana to find that in herself. Simply, the art of direction for me is to create the visual, imaginative and linguistic reference, or what is commonly referred to as the 'vision' and allow breadth for each artist's, whether it is the DOP, or actors, to explore their own path.
Directing, I think, is a strange mixture of precision and flexibility. So while I had a shot list and went over this with Marius van Graan the DOP, on set the shots became flexible and open to discussion. Similarly, while rehearsals with the actors helped the acting process, on set it was time to let that go. The ultimate need is to express the film in the best possible way. I do know that as an artist, I believe in balance and this informs my creative decisions. On set I felt the pulse of the film and the nuances of the people, because in the end that very intuitive feeling helps create an environment were creative thinking can flourish. I believe my job was a strange mixture of fact and fiction, for while you are directing a fictional story you are dealing with real people and that cross over occurred in my mind most of the time. I would also like to acknowledge the assistance I received from Damon Berry and Themba Mongwe in helping me direct the film.
The balance of Supermama lies in the real nature, intertwined with the fiction of the story. While it is a fictional account of Supermama, there are the real elements of a society in turmoil over crime and corruption. To emphasize this I decided to shoot parts of the film, for instance mama and her environment, in a realistic way. However, as soon as she becomes Supermama, colours are saturated and a ray of light highlights her - this was done in post-production. Sounds become supernaturally hers, like the swoosh of her bag as she hits the tsotsi. The music was also crucial to the film and Dan Selsick, the composer, created and enhanced the story a hundred fold.
The other crucial element was finding the right locations. When we first shot the promo, we shot one scene at a market with beautiful arches. The architecture that I decided to use was that of arches, which for me represent flight and power. In the film when Supermama catches the tsotsis, she is shot against the height of arches. These arches represent her inner belief and a spirit in flight, unhindered by the material and restricted world. The arches in essence are symbolic of her state of being as a superhero. It was crucial that everything from the architecture, composition, colours and sounds represented her as a superhero, so therefore the highlighted colours, bold sounds and uplifting space.
Central to the story are the comic elements. These elements were mainly introduced by the three tsotsis. We also decided to cast a female tsotsi as this breaks down stereotypes. During rehearsals I also explained to the tsotsis the status game so that they interact with each other according to higher and lower status. I also wanted them think of the Charlie Chaplin kind of comedy - one where characters take themselves seriously but what they do is hugely funny. In a way they are like bumbling clowns and always end up getting into trouble. Other comedy elements come through with the dialogue and symbolic references like mama's leopard print handbag that is her only weapon, besides her self-belief, in the fight for a better world.                     
Directing the film was a real journey and I also realised the extent of hard work that goes into making a 10-minute film. A director's job is never finished, it continues from pre-production, production through to post and marketing. Finally I would just like to say thanks to all involved in Supermama - without your support this would not have been possible.         
In the end this is what I know: it is not only the end result that matters, but the journey of getting there that I counts.                   

KAREN VAN SCHALKWYK     
Director, Writer and Producer
Karen van Schalkwyk, who attended one of The Writing Studio's first workshops for screenwriters, has been working in the film and television industry for over ten years. Karen began her career as a personal assistant on film sets working for some of South Africa's top production companies. In 1997 she joined the leading South African film and television trade publication, Screen Africa, as the Cape Town representative and journalist. As one of South Africa's respected journalists, she has extensive experience as an interviewer of some highly reputed producers, directors and filmmakers both locally and internationally, which has enabled her to gain a broad and in-depth understanding of the industry. Currently freelancing for Screen Africa, she has also written a number of articles for Screen International and Channel 21 in the UK.   
In 2000 Karen developed and researched her arts and entertainment show, AfricArt, which she took to MIPCOM and presented it to Channel 4, Arte and TVF1 and SABC. Following a workshop for scriptwriters presented by The Writing Studio in 2003, Karen submitted her feature film script, Ren, to the Binger Film Institute in Amsterdam and was selected to attend the scriptwriting programme for the summer semester. She spent six months in Amsterdam with writers from all over the world developing the screenplay. In 2004 she decided to further invest in her career by applying to The New York Film Academy to study a six weeks filmmaking course in London, graduating with a short experimental film, Hattrick, which was shot on 16mm. Karen also flexed her acting talent on stage, appearing in Macbeth, which was staged at the Johannesburg Civic Theatre. As a member of the Actors Centre she is avidly pursuing acting as well as directing.
As a playwright she has written two plays: Red Right Hand (her graduating play at UCT) and The Shadow Catcher (staged at Grahamstown in 1997). 
Karen also has a diploma in small business management from Dameline and a Digital Video Production certificate from Cape Town. Other achievements include producing two short documentary promos for the film industry: The Digital Revolution and Promised Land.
In 2005 she wrote the script titled The Adventures of Supermama: Episode 1 and produced and directed the short film/promotional video. In 2006 Supermama the short film was produced for release via Ster Kinekor Distribution in December, and is currently working on her screenplays Ren, Behind the Veil and The Adventures of Supermama: Episode 2.

DAMON BERRY                           
Producer, Writer and Editor
Damon Berry has been working in the South African film and television industry for twelve years, and is an established actor and filmmaker. He studied a National Diploma in Drama at Pretoria Technikon (1994 to 1996), from which he not only graduated with distinction, but with the honour of Best Student in his class three years in a row.
As an actor, Damon has appeared on local television in Zero Tolerance, Snitch II, Isidingo, Scandal and others, and has landed parts in international film and television movies such as "To The Ends of The Earth" (Dir : David Attwood. BBC. 2004), "Zenon 3" (Dir : Steve Rash. Disney. 2003), and "In The Land of Dreams" (1998). He takes tremendous pride in having acted in a number of award-winning South African short films. His knuckle-headed character Darren ("But you can call me Dazza") gave a comedic edge to the movie "SA/X" (Dir : Gilli Apter) which played at the Cannes Film Festival in 2005, and won an award Loncarno. He can also be seen in the short film "Relatively Stoned" (Dir : Sabine Bittle), in which he plays a drugged-out psychopathic loon.
Damon has always had a passion for writing and directing, and has written a number of stage plays ("The Doomsday Play" 1996, "Room 306" 1994, "Corpser" 1993) and has a number of short films to his name, including ("A Bit of Blood" 2005, "Sex Drive" 2001, and the 30-minute ensemble drama "Engage" 2000). He thrives on taking on new challenges, and has taught himself to edit and shoot. Taking his place behind the camera for a short South African film "Untilted Axis" (Dir : Sandra Viera. 2003) earned him a bronze award in the television drama category at the Visible Spectrum Awards for the South African Society of Cinematographers. Not bad for an 'actor'!
He has also worked as an Assistant Extras Co-ordinator on "Beyond Borders" (Dir : Martin Campbell. Mandalay Pictures), and sometimes works as an associate casting director alongside Feature Film casting director Christa Schamberger.
He was one of the producers on the notoriously successful "Quickies One Minute Film Series", and is currently looking for funding for his explosive local feature film "Get Lucky

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